• tasty4skin@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    15
    ·
    1 year ago

    Not arguing against unions, but they don’t have teeth everywhere you go. I’m part of the IBEW and they’re great further north, but where I’m at our greatest consolation is $20 an hour (pretty good for the area) and 15 minute breaks at 8a and 10a. We also have a no strike/lockout clause in our contract.

    So, don’t just join a union. Participate. Bargain for more. The union isn’t the savior, it’s a tool so we can save ourselves.

    • KermitLeFrog@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      9
      ·
      1 year ago

      So don’t just join a union. Participate

      It’s both. They don’t have teeth because membership is so low. But lack of participation also affects the unions that do exist. I would still argue that lack of membership is the far bigger issue though.

    • BigNote@lemm.ee
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      3
      ·
      1 year ago

      Dang! IBEW journeymen are at something like $60-70/hr where I am. I’ve been told it’s $69/hr but maybe that’s bullshit.

      My local had a no strike clause after losing a strike in the 80s, but it expired a few years ago and since then we’ve won $16/hr in raises without ever officially striking and only picketing a handful of times.

      We’ve also gotten more money into our pension and healthcare trusts, which is big.

      Unions work. Unions give you dignity and recourse to unfair labor practices.